Stop mechanism for talking-machines



R. DUNCAN.

STOP MECHANISM FOR TALKING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED APILZI, I915.

1,346,082. Patented u y 6, 1920.

2 SHEETSSHEET L I A "I IIIIIIIIIII I I I WITNESSES N N IA/I/E/VTO R. DUNCAN.

STOP MECHANISM FOR TALKING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED APR.2I, I915.

Patented July 6, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

W/TNE88E8 5/14 M,

RAYMOND DUNCAN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

STOP MECHANISM FOR TALKING-MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J uly 6, 1920.

Application filed April 21, 1915. Serial No. 22,776.

lie it known that I, RiiYMoNo DUNCAN, acitizen of the United States, residing at the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, in the county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stop Mechanism for Talking- Machines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

My invention relates to improvements in talking machines, and the same has for its object more particularly to provide a simple, efficient and positive device, whereby the driving mechanism may be arrested when the record has been played.

Further, said invention has for its object to provide a stop for talking machines which is so constructed and arranged that the same may be operated ordinarily as an automatic device when a record has been completely played, or which may be operated manually to stop the driving mechanism when the reproducer is at any point upon the record.

Further, said invention has for its object to provide a stop mechanism whereby the driving mechanism will be automatically stopped when the needle or stylus carried by the reproducer reaches the end of the groove.

Further, said invention has for its ob ject to provide an automatic mechanism which is actuated directly by the record to arrest the driving mechanism of the machine when a predetermined point has been reached upon the record. I

To the attainment of the aforesaid objects and ends, my invention consists in the novel details of construction, and in the combination, 'connection and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described and then pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification wherein like numerals of reference indicate like parts,

Figure 1. is a side view showing a wellknown form of talking machine equipped with a stop mechanism constructed according to, and emliiodying my said invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail plan view partly broken out to illustrate the stop mechanism Fig. 3 is a detail side elevation partly in section;

Fig. 4: is a detail perspective view of the stop mechanism and the parts directly cooperating therewith;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail front View of the sound box, and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail side view showing the circuit closer operated by the brake lever.

In said drawings 10 designates a talking machine casing which may be of any desired shape or size, and comprises a removable top plate 11 suitably supported within the top of the casing 10. Below said plate or top 11 is secured the usual motor 12 from which extends upwardly through the top plate 11a shaft 13 upon which is mounted the turn table 14: to receive the record 15. At the forward side of the machine, which is the left hand side, as seen at Fig. l, is arranged a vertical shaft 16 having its lower end disposed in a socket 17 secured upon the horizontal partition 18, in the casing 10. The upper end of the shaft 16 extends through a collar 19 secured in the top l1 of the casing, and at the upper end of said shaft 16 is pivotally secured a cam 20 provided with an operating handle 21 whereby said shaft and parts carried thereby may be raised or lowered.

22 denotes a horn which is secured at its forward end by clips or brackets 23, 23 to the shaft 16 adjacent to its upper and lower ends.

The rear end of the horn is reduced in diameter and extends upward and forwardly, and to its extreme upper end is removably secured the reproducing apparatus which comprises a diaphragm case 24 and a floating arm 25. The rear end of the floating arm 25 is pivotally secured to the diaphragm case 24 by a spring 2'? and is electrically insulated from the diaphragm case by a block of insulating material 26. The spring 27 permits of a slight vertical movement of the forward or free end of the floating arm. The member on the floating arm which carries the stylus or needle is operatively connected to the diaphragm within the case 24 by a flexible connection 28. At the forward end of the case 24 is secured a loop 29 which loosely embraces the limit pin 30 secured to the free end of the floating arm 25. The said reproducing apparatus comprising the above enumerated parts will hereinafter be designated by the term sound-box,

Upon the base or plate 11 adjacent to the forward end of the apparatus is arranged a brake lever 31 which is pivotally supported upon a pin or screw 32. Said brake lever is provided at its front edge with a forwardly and upwardly extending member 33 havinga friction block 3 1 therein serving as a brake shoe. At its opposite edge said brake lever 31 is provided with a depending projection V 36 denotes a locking lever which is pivotally secured to the base 11 by a pin or screw 37 which extends through the rear end of said lever. At its forward end said lever is provided with a laterally offset portion 38 having a forwardly extending curved linger-portion 39. Adjacent to itsrcar or pivoted end the locking lever 36 is provided with a recess 40 which is adapted to engage with the projection of the brake lever when the said brake lever is forced inwardly to release the friction block 3afrom its ongagement with the inner surface of the deending flange 1cof the turn table 1a.

The rear end of the locking lever36 is connected by a spring 4:1 with an inwardly extending arm 31 on the brake lever 31. The offset portion 38 at the forward end of the locking member serves as an armature to be actuated by a magnet 12 secured upon the top 11 by a bracket 43.

To one side of the locking lever 36 are secured a pair of contact fingers a l, which are insulated from each other and from the plate 11 by blocks of insulatirw illiterial4c6, 416. The forward ends of said contact fingers it, &5 are normally separated, and are adapted to be brought into engagement with each other to complete the electric current at that point by a wedged-shaped block of insulating material 47 which has its rear end split and secured to the brake lever 31.

7 d8 denotes a dry battery and. 4%) a conductor extending from one of the poles of said battery to the pivoted rear end of the floating arm 25. 5O denotes a conductor which extends from the opposite pole of the battery, and to the contact member 15. From the contact member 14: extends a conductor 51 which includes the magnet 12, and has its end connected to a contact finger 52, secured upon the horizontal partition 13, which contact finger is adapted to engage with the collar of the clip or projection secured to the lower end of the shaft 16 and to the horn 22. By lowering the cam 20 at the upper end of the shaft 16 the stylus or needle carried by the floating arm will be brought into engagement with the record 15 upon the turn table 1 1.

The operationof the apparatus is as follows g The free end of the brake lever 31 is first moved inwardly in the direction of the ar- "einbracing said pin.

row a, Fig. at whereby the friction block is freed of its engagement with the inner surface of the depending flange 1 1 of the turn table 1-1, and at the same time the projection at the rear edge of said lever 31 is caused to engage with the locking lever and force the same slightly to the left, and when said locking lever 36 has reached the limit of its movement to engage with the recess all) therein whereby said brake lever 31. will be held in its retracted position. The forward end of the locking lever 36 is held normally away from the core of the magnet 12 by the action of the spring -11 secured to the rear ends of said locking and said brake lever. As the brake lever 31 is forced inwardly, as just above stated, the wedged-shaped member all carried thereby will be caused to engage the upper surface of the contact finger 44-, and force the same downwardly into engagement with the free forward end of the contact spring 515, and thus complete the circuit between the conductors and 51.

Hereupon the sound-box and the horn 22 are bodily lowered and the stylus or needle of the soundbox caused to engage with the surface of the record by adjusting to a vcrtical position the handle 21 secured to the upper end of the vertical shaft 16. As the said shaft 16 and horn 22 carried thereby arebodily lowered the contact finger will be caused to engage with the clip or brackets 23*- at the lower end of the'shaft 16, and. complete the electric circuit at that point. The circuit, will now be completed except for the break which exists between the limit pin 36 and the yoke 29 extending from the underside of the diaphragm case and loosely lVhen the sound-box has moved inwardly toward the center of the record to the point where the record ends a peculiar lateral jump or movement of the forward end of the floating arm occurs. This lateral movement is in an inwardly direction toward the center of the record and occurs as the stylus or needle suddenly moves from the end of the record groove to the smooth portion of the record disk. As the floating arm 25 is thus caused to jump or move suddenly the limit pin 36 will be brought into engagement with the loop 29 on the diaphragm case 24 and finally complete the electric circuit. With the completion of theelectric circuit the magnet 42 instantly becomes energized and attracts the portion 38 of the locking lever 36 thereto. and holds the same until the circuit is again broken. lever 36 is so attracted by the magnet 42 the projection on the brake arm 31 will be released from its engagementwith the recess 10 adjacent'to the other end of said locking lever 36, and said lever brake 31 caused'to spring outwardly under the influence of the As the forward end of the looking I spring 11, and force the friction block 3a against the inner side of the vertical flange let" oi the turn table i l, and thereby arrest the further movement oi said turn table. As the brake arm projected outwardly by the action of the spring ll the wedgedshaped member 17, carried thereby, will also be moved outwardly and in being so moved outwardly cause the contact linger ll to be released from its engagement with the contact linger l5 and break the electric circuit.

If it is desired to stop the rotation of the turn table 1% at any point between the beginning and end of a record, it merely becomes necessary to force the free end of the locking lever 36 against the magnet 42 whereby the b 'akc lever 31 will be released in the same manner as it is when the magnet 42 is energized. To start the turn table again it merely becomes necessary to force the brake lever 31 inwardly and cause the recess 40 thereof to engage with the projection 35 on the rear side of said brake lever whereupon the parts will be held in position to permit of the free rotation. of the turn table.

It will be noted that my invention provides a stop mechanism which operates automatically to arrest the movement of the driving mechanism when, for example, the record has been played, and which may be actuated independently of the automatically operating means to arrest the driving mechanism at any desired point or place on the record.

Having thus described my said invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Let-- ters Patent is i. In a machine of the character described, in combination, a rotatable record support, a record thereon, means -for operating the support, a sound-box comprising a plurality of parts one of which is movable with respect to the other thereof, and a brake mechanism, certain of said parts of said sound-box being operatively connected to the brake mechanism and being operable by the record "for controlling the operation of the brake mechanism to arrest the move ment oi the record support, substantially as specified.

2. In a machine oi. the character described, in combination, a rotatable record support, a record thereon, means for operating the support, a sound-box comprising a plurality oi parts one of which is movable with respect to the other thereof, and a brake mechanism, the relatively movable parts of said sound-box including co-acting members operatively connected to the brake mechanism, certain of said members being operable by the record for controlling the operation of the brake mechanism to arrest the movement of the record support, substantially as specified.

3, In a machine of the character described, in combination, a rotatable record support, a record thereon, means for operating the support, a sound-box comprising a plurality oi parts one of which is movable with respect to the other thereof, and an electrically controlled brake mechanism, the relatively movable parts of said soundbon including co-acting members forming a circuit-closer, said circuitcloser being open able by the record for controlling the operation of the brake mechanism to arrest the movement of the record support, substantially as specified.

4:. In a machine of the character described, in con'ibination, a rotatable record support, a record thereon, means for operating the support, a sound-box comprising a plurality of parts one of which is movable with respect to the other thereof, and an electrically controlled brake mechanism, one of the parts of said soundbox comprising a member, and another of the parts of said sound-box comprising a second member embracing said first-named member and constituting therewith a circuit-closer, said circuit-closer being operable by the record for controlling the operation of the brake mechanism to arrest the movement of the record support, substantially as specified.

5. In a machine of the character described, in combination, a rotatable record support, a record thereon, means for operating the support, a sound-box comprising a plurality of parts one of which is movable with respect to the other thereof, and an electrically controlled brake mechanism, one of the parts of said sound-box comprising a pin, and another of the parts of said sound-box comprising a loop embracing said pin and constituting therewith a circuitcloser, said circuit-closer being operable by the record for controlling the operation of the brake mechanism to arrest the movement of the record support, substantially as specified.

6. In a machine of the character described,

in combination, a rotatable support, means for operating the same, a brake mechanism, and a sound-box comprising relatively movable co'acting parts operatively connected to the brake mechanism for controlling the operation thereof, substantially as specified.

7. In a machine of the character described, in combination, a rotatable support, means for operating the same, an electrically controlled brake mechanism, and a sound-box comprising relatively movable co-acting parts electrically insulated from one another and constituting a circuit-closer to control the operation of the brake mechanism, substantially as specified.

8. In a machine of the character described, in combination, a movable member, means for controlling the movement thereof, and a sound-box comprising relatively movable co-acting parts operatively connected to said controlling means for governing the operation thereof, substantially as specified.

9. In a machine of the character described, in combination, a movable member, electrically controlled means for governing the movement thereof, and a sound-box com: prising relatively movable co-acting parts electrically insulated from one another and constituting a circuit-closer for governing the operation of said electrically controlled means, substantially as specified.

10. In a machine of the character described, in combination, a movable member, electrically controlled means for governing the movement thereof, and a sound-box comprising a plurality of parts one of which is movable with respect to the other thereof, one of said parts constituting one member of a circuit-closer and another of said parts constituting another member of the circuitcloser, said members being insulated from one another, said circuit-closer governing the operation of said electrically controlled means, substantially as specified.

11. In a machine of the character described, in combination, a movable member, electrically controlled means for governing the movement thereof, and a sound-box comprising a plurality of parts one of which is movable with respect to the other thereof, one of said parts including a member, and another of said parts including a second member electrically insulated from said first member and constituting therewith a circuitcloser for governing the operation of said electrically controlled means, substantially as specified.

12. In a machine of the character described, in combination, a movable member, electrically controlled means for governing the movement thereof, and a sound-box comprising a plurality of parts one of which is movable with respect to the other and electrically insulated therefrom, said electrically insulated-parts of the sound box including.

co-acting members constituting a circuitcloser for governing the operation of said electrically controlled means, substantially as specified.

13. In a machine of the character described, in combination, a movable member, electrically controlled means for governing the movement thereof, and a sound-box comprising a plurality of parts one of which is movable with respect to the other and electrically insulated therefrom, one of said parts including a pin, and another of said parts including a member embracing said pin and constituting therewith, a circuit closer for governing said electrically controlled means, substantially as specified.

14. In a machine of the character described, in combination, a movable member, electrically controlled means for governing the movement thereof, and a sound-box comprising a diaphragm case and a floating arm, said case and arm including co-acting members insulated from one another and constituting a circuit-closer for governing said electrically controlled means, substantially as specified.

15. In a machine of the character described, in combination, a movable member, electrically controlled means for governing the movement thereof, and a sound-box comprising a diaphragm case and a floating arm electrically insulated from one another, said case and said arm including co-acting members constituting a. circuit-closer for governing said electrically controlled means, substantially as specified.

16. In a machine of the character de scribed, the combination of a rotatable record support, a record thereon, a reproducer comprising a stylus, means for shifting said reproducer vertically relatively to said rec ord, with a stop mechanism comprising a pivoted brake lever, means for maintaining said pivoted brake lever normally projected and in engagement with said record .support, a projection on said brake lever, fa pivoted locking lever having a recess therein adapted to engage with the projection on said brake lever whereby to hold said brake lever in retracted position, an rrmature on said locking lever, a circuit, a source of electric energy, an electro magnet, a circuit closer arranged partly upon a fixed part of the machine and partly upon the means for vertically shifting said reproducer, a pair of contact members mounted in separated relation adjacent to said brake lever, a member on said brake lever adapted to engage with said contact members and move the same into engagement with each other, said reproducer comprising a pair of contact members normally in engagement and adapted 'to be separated when the stylus on the reproducer is moved vertically into engagement with said record and said firstnamed contact members being adapted to be brought into engagement when said brake lever is shifted to its retracted position, said second named contact members being adapted to' complete the circuit when the stylus reaches a predetermined point upon the record whereby to energize said electro-magnet to release said locking lever and cause said brake lever to be projected into engagement with said record support, and the member carried thereby to' be released from its engagement with the contact members first mentioned, substantially as specified.

17. In a device of the class described, the combination, with a record support and a sound box arranged for relative feeding movement, of a record on said support, said sound box being so arranged with respect to said support and the record thereon that as the stylus of the sound box leaves the groove of the record there will be a component of the friction between the stylus and record which will produce a movement of the stylus across the record, and means whereby the movement of the stylus across the record thus produced controls the relative feeding movement of the record support and sound box, substantially as described.

l8. In a device of the class described, a movable member, means comprising an electric circuit for controlling the movement thereof, and a sound, box having relatively movable parts adapted to eflect the closing of said circuit by relative movement thereof to thereby control the operation of said controlling means, the operation or said controlling means efiecting the breaking of said circuit.

19. In a device of the class described, a rotatable record support, a brake mechanism therefor, means comprising an electric circuit for controlling said brake mechanism, and a sound box having relatively movable parts and adapted to effect the closing of said circuit by relative movement thereof to thereby render said brake mechanism opera tive, the operation of the brake mechanism eiiecting the breaking of said circuit, substantially as described.

20. In a device of the class described, the combination with a rotatable record support and a member provided with a sound box mounted for relative feeding movement, of a brake mechanism for said support, means comprising an electric circuit for controlling said brake mechanism, said sound box having a part movable relatively to the sound box body and having an extension comprising a contact element, and a contact element fixed. to said member, said contact elements being normally electrically disconnected from each other and comprising a circuit closer for said circuit, and said circuit closer being rendered operable by movement of said part relative to the sound box body, substantially as described.

Signed at the city of New York, in the county and State of New York, this 16th day of April, one thousand nine hundred and fifteen.

RAYMOND DUNCAN.

lVitnesses Gr. S. BABSON, Comm]; A. DIETERICH. 

